I Hate the Word Girlfriend
by SlytherinFlame
Summary: Bellatrix Lestrange has a daughter. A daughter only she and Tom Riddle know about. A daughter that He-Who-Must-Be-Named threw out the window before even looking at her youthful face. And Corbeau Black wants the truth.
1. Prologue

Bellatrix Lestrange looked out the window of her jail cell in Azkaban. Somewhere out in the night, where there was little despair in a warm room, Christmas light were being put up, a turkey dinner was being served, and joyful carols were being sung. But not here, not in Azkaban, and not with the dementors around.

She let out a ringing cackle that made the soft snoring of her husband, Rodolphus, stir, and then fall back asleep, his chest rising and falling evenly.

Bellatrix's face screwed up in disgust. He was sleeping? Now of all times? Bellatrix never slept well at all, not since the Dark Lord fell. He was out there, he needed her, his most faithful servant. And where was she? Locked in a cell in Azkaban, waiting, loyal, but indeed useless.

It was Christmas Eve. It was always around this time that she remembered how long she had been locked away in this hopeless place. It was too on a December nightthat she had been caught. It was too on a December night that her daughter was born. Her daughter? Bellatrix had never seen her face. They took her, they took her away. She was nameless, faceless, clueless. She was probably dead for all Bellatrix knew.

Bellatrix's eyes stung as they always did on Christmas Eve. It always reminded her of the family that never loved her; always liked Narcissa the beautiful, always liked Andromeda the kind. Never Bellatrix the ugly. Bellatrix the evil, Bellatrix the hopeless. Bellatrix the pathetic.

And where were they now? Narcissa had married Lucius Malfoy. Now she was nothing but a housewife only needed to attend to their first born son Draco. How weak, how feeble! Bellatrix sniggered.

How about Andromeda? She married a filthy mudblood, Ted Tonks, completely dishonoring the Black family name. Stupid girl. Severe hatred and adrenaline ran through Bellatrix's veins now. She couldn't stand the mudblood scum besmirching her family's proud line. The family would now simply brush her away.

The only family that had ever liked her was that Regulus Black. And where was he now? Like herself, a faithful servant to the Dark Lord. The only lord for that matter. Bellatrix hadn't seen him for a while. He was not rotting in Azkaban as she was. He had not been a captured Death Eater. Now, thinking about it, she hadn't heard any news about Regulus after the fall of thie master.

Bellatrix's thoughts finally came back to her daughter, as they so often did.

Her only daughter. Parents in Azkaban. No one to love her. No one to care about her. The child probably didn't even know about her own past. About her nobility as a pureblood!

_I shall be avenged_, thought Bellatrix, _I will get revenge on someone for this, mark my words_.

For Bellatrix merely wanted to glance at her. To see their likeness, and maybe, just maybe, teach her a thing or two about muggles.


	2. Chapter 1

It was snowing outside. The flakes, every one a different shape and size were falling. Falling, unable to control where they landed. Would they melt and be lost forever on the warm pavement or would they find asylum on the cool grass? Captivating, twirling, shimmering, the innocent whiteness continued through the air as if unknowing and uncaring. Not a trouble in the world.

Heavy boots crunched through the light dusting of flurries on the ground, leaving ugly footprints in the pure and otherwise untroubled snow. The person of which these footprints belonged to was not there for Christmas dinner or to give a present to the owner of the house whose lawn the footsteps were trudging through. These footsteps were not friendly.

There was no warning for Corbeau Black. She didn't know anything but the dark, predictable night was outside her window. She was, rather, preoccupied, having an intimate moment with her, for loss of better words, friend.

"Beau?" asked a light haired pale boy into Corbeau's cheek.

"Mmm?"

"Do you hear something?" he lifted his head and signaled towards the door.

"No..." Corbeau replied, her eyebrows raising in confusion. Who would be in the house at this hour?

Her mother and father were at a Christmas party and weren't due back until midnight. The clock read that it was nearly ten thirty.

"Oh...I thought I heard footsteps downstairs."

"Don't worry, Colombe," whispered Corbeau pushing him onto the couch and lifting herself on top, "I don't want to worry about anything until at least eleven thirty." Of course she wouldn't She wanted things to get much more interesting with Colombe.

He put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him, kissing her all the while.

Colombe sat up suddenly, pushing Corbeau off of him.

"What?" asked Corbeau shocked, and a little angry.

"I swear I heard something."

A definite dull clunking was coming from downstairs.

"I think I should get out of here..." mumbled Colombe, reaching for his winter jacket off Corbeau's bed. Corbeau stood up from the couch.

"No, please, stay? For me?"

Colombe turned towards the door, but then with an impatient sigh turned back towards Corbeau.

"Fine...I'll stay."

"Thank you Colombe." Corbeau whispered into his ear as she put her arms around his neck and pressed her head into his chest. He was a good eight inches taller than her at a height of six feet. She was about five foot four, but strong enough to overpower him when she wanted to.

Colombe lifted her chin so she would look into his eyes.

"Corbeau, I really don't think this is a good idea. I mean, what if your parents were down there and came up..."

She silenced him with a long kiss.

"Shut up Colombe!" she said once they broke apart.

"...What?" He looked shocked.

"Look, I'm sorry, it's just that..."

She stopped suddenly as she could hear a loud dull thunk from behind the door.

"Oh my god..." whispered Corbeau, paralyzed with fear, as the knob of the door started to turn.

Colombe was speechless rooted to the spot, and Corbeau turned to look at him as if surveying whether or not she should do something.

On the inside of her sweatshirt, Corbeau gripped her wand.


	3. Chapter 2

Remus Lupin had come here for a reason. It was a safe night, no moon was visible in the sky, which meant the moon was starting a new cycle. But that wasn't it. He was here to save Regulus Black and Elaina Malfoy's child.

The original guardian and one of Remus's good friends, Sirius Black, was in Azkaban, and besides that he was a murderer, even though Remus was skeptical of that, there was too much proof and he had to believe it. Secondly, the child would either go to Mistress Black, who was a disaster waiting to happen...or to Lucius Malfoy, a known Death Eater; both choices just seemed like bad ideas. The child had no real home, though she was coming of age soon, but he had no choice but to take her in himself when she was not a Hogwarts.

Which was why he was standing on the doorstep of Regulus Black and Elaina Malfoy, two hated Slytherin's, at ten forty-six on Christmas Eve, watching a six foot tall sixteen year old cower behind a skinny, dark haired girl holding a piece of carved wood pointed at him.

"Remus?" the girl gasped out loud and dropped her wand.

"Beau, put your wand down, I'm not here to watch you lose a duel to me again," Remus smiled. Remus and Sirius were frequent babysitters of Corbeau, "Oh and by the way, I see you've picked up a guest."

Corbeau looked behind her in disgust. Colombe was looking very pale and on the verge of fainting.

"He's a friend of mine, who, unlike you, was actually invited," said Corbeau coldly.

Remus frowned and the wrinkles in his face become more pronounced.

"I'm here to take you with me, on your parents' request," said Remus, his tone less friendly.

"I don't believe you..."

"I don't care, you are underage, and in the presence of a muggle." He looked over towards Colombe who had fainted, and was lying spreadeagled on the floor beside them, "He'll have to go home by the way, so say goodbye to him."

"Bye Colombe," Corbeau said indifferently.

With a wave of Remus's wand Colombe woke up.

"Hey son, you have to go home now. Obliviate!"

Colombe's eyes went glassy.

"Confundo! Okay you will go home right now and not ask questions."

Colombe grabbed his jacket and walked out of the room silently.

"Now, take my arm, we're apparating to my house."

She took his arm with the look of utmost boredom and with a audible _CRACK! _they disappeared into thin air.


	4. Chapter 3

Corbeau felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. They had arrived at Remus's apartment, but the apparating was just too much. Corbeau did not have a license but she could apparate...not that she'd want to. Corbeau preferred flying on her Comet Two-Sixty.

"I feel so guilty about keeping it from you," said Remus out of nowhere.

"...What?" asked a confused Corbeau.

"Oh...well...I shouldn't tell you..."

"No, tell me..." demanded Corbeau.

Remus looked down at her, a grave look on his face.

"I...I was only...curious..." she stammered.

"Fine, I think I should tell you. It involves your parents."

Corbeau's heart skipped. Her parents? But they were at a Christmas party...right?

"Elaina and Regulus are not at a neighbor's Christmas party Beau. They are really on a..." he gulped, "suicide mission against Lord Voldemort. Do you know who that is?"

Corbeau nodded solemnly. Her parents were going to die.

"Your mother is already dead."

Corbeau collapsed onto the floor, gasping. Tears gushed out of her eyes and dripped off her chin. Mom? Dead? Her brain couldn't comprehend anymore.

Why had this happened? Corbeau was sixteen years old. Much too young to suffer the loss and grief that surrounded her now.

The sensation was not unlike having a dementor clutching at her wrists. Corbeau felt as though she was drowning in a pool of cold. She struggled to save herself, to free herself of the dead weight in her heart, but she couldn't. She was being pulled into the blackness. A piece of her was wearing away, and the pain of it made her want to scream.

She choked on words trying to make sense of what Remus has just said. Elaina was only twenty-three, she was too young to die! Regulus was nearly twenty-four, but he was not dead yet, was he?

"She was killed by a Death Eater named Antonin Dolohov."

Corbeau clutched at her chest unable to breathe. Remus kindly held out his hand to help her up and Corbeau took it, breathing hard the shock fading but the anguish setting in.

"Your father on the other hand is with Kreacher. Do you know who that is?"

"The house elf?" gasped Corbeau.

"Indeed. He wants to see you one last time because he has quit the Death Eaters and knows his days are numbered. We are going to see him."

Corbeau nodded, tears still trickling down her face.

"Take my arm then," said Remus as Corbeau gently took ahold of his elbow and with yet another _CRACK!, _they vanished.


	5. Chapter 4

They arrived at Grimmauld Place and knocked on the door, Remus clutching at Corbeau's arm so that she wouldn't topple over and roll down the steps.

Mistress Black opened the door, an all-too grim expression on her face that matched the interior of her house. She gave Remus a look of utter disgust (he had after all been friends with the son she always loathed) but welcomed her granddaughter in semi-warmly.

Once they were inside she turned to them and spoke with an unnaturally hoarse voice, as though she had been crying only moments before.

"He's...i-in there." She pointed towards Regulus' closed bedroom door.

"Come," spoke Remus to Corbeau,trying hard not to let emotion into his voice.

They pushed the door open; it groaned on rusty hinges and caught the attention of a raven black haired man who was sitting at his desk, twirling the chain of a locket in his fingers. He turned his head to face them.

Corbeau couldn't find her father in the lines of misery that faced her. He looked a hundred years old, nothing like his usual self.

"D-dad?" whispered Corbeau.

Regulus nodded, and then looked down at the dusty floor. Corbeau walked toward him.

"Dad. I-I-..." she couldn't think of something to say, but Regulus must have understood her because he held his arms out toward her.

"Beau," he said as he took her into his arms in a paternal embrace, "It will be okay. You'll be okay."

"Is Mom really...?" she choked on the last word. Then the realization set in, she was about to become an orphan. Parent less, alone.

Regulus nodded, a silver tear running down his cheek.

"Dad...don't do this."

"I have to, darling. I-I...it's up to me."

"Dad, you don't have to."

"Beau I have to tell you something."

"What? Don't change the subject! You can't go!"

"Corbeau Riley Black I'm going no matter what. Now listen to me, would you?" ordered Regulus, his face turning red.

Corbeau looked hurt, but Regulus continued on.

"Look, what I'm going to tell you will shock you, and you probably won't believe me, but I do speak the truth. You can ask Remus, you can ask my mother if you want to. You have to believe me. That is my dying wish. Will you honor it?"

"Yes dad."

"Very well," Regulus said. Then he gulped and whispered the dreaded words:

"You are not my child."

Corbeau's eyes shot up from the floor. She opened her mouth to protest but Regulus went on before she could say anything.

"Listen, you are not our biological child. You are my daughter in the sense that I am your father figure and I am more proud of you than you will ever realize. However, though we are distantly related, I am not your father. You are an adopted child."

Corbeau gasped in shock, "I-I'm adopted?"

Regulus nodded, "I guess you want to know who your parents are then, right?"

Corbeau didn't want to hear it, to believe it, but she forced herself to nod.

"You are the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort."

Corbeau sank to the floor, a strangling sound coming from her throat.

"I-I can talk to snakes. I'm a Slytherin. I'm a good student. Teachers love me..." she spoke to herself.

"You have inherited Tom Riddle's charm," said Remus. This was the first he spoke for a long time.

"You look like Bellatrix however,"pointed out Regulus as Corbeau looked at herself in the mirror. She had wavy jet black hair to the small of her back, tangled and matted, and her heavy lidded eyes were something she had never seen on either of her parents.

"Sometimes, when I'm angry, my eyes turn red."

Regulus's eyes widened in surprise, "Well, that's another Tom Riddle characteristic. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that Corbeau. I truly am."

"I'm ashamed of my parentage."

"I understand." Regulus looked into her eyes and she could see that he was not lying.

The floor behind her cracked and into the room stepped none other than Kreacher, the house elf.

"Corbeau...this is goodbye." Regulus walked toward Kreacher.

"Dad! No!"

"I'm sorry. I have loved to be your father, to watch you grow up. I loved you Corbeau, I always will."

"Dad! No...you can't," she looked at Remus, "He can't! Tell him not to!"

"I'm sorry Corbeau, this is out of my hands." replied Remus softly.

"Corbeau, this is goodbye. I have to go now. I hope you are proud of me as I am proud of you." He pulled her into a hug and lightly kissed her on the cheek.

"Dad...DAD!" she screamed but Regulus had already apparated out of the room with Kreacher.

"...Goodbye dad," Corbeau yelped, and sank to the floor.


	6. Chapter 5

"Rodolphus, honestly, the Dark Lord needs us. He needs me! We have to get out of here," pouted Bellatrix, sitting on the floor, her fingers drawing swirls of dirt upon the concrete.

Rodolphus sighed. He didn't need yet another reminder that his wife loved the Dark Lord more than she loved him, but she never failed to rub it in his face, "Bellatrix I don't know...no one's ever escaped from this place."

"Then I'll be the first!" she declared, turning towards the front of their cell and shaking the iron bars.

Rodolphus groaned with misery as another dementor passed by close to their cell.

"I hope the Dark Lord will realize how much we are suffering for him when he returns," he said warily.

"We are not suffering! We are glad to do this for him. You should be happy to serve Rodolphus!"

"Bellatrix, do not hear me wrong, I'm just saying, it's not the first time you have gotten carried away about something."

Bellatrix froze, thinking. What did he mean? And then the truth hit her.

Her daughter.

Her daughter, out there in this cold night. Wandering, parent less, unknowing.

What was her name? Did she even have one? Her daughter was taken away before she could receive a name, by the father who craved a son. She had never seen her daughter's face.

Bellatrix was tortured for her failure, very severely.

"Do not ever fail me again Bellatrix Black," rang the high, cold voice, "Or you will be begging me for a painless death."

That high, cold voice, belonged to none other than Lord Voldemort himself. He wanted a successor to his self-made throne, and the sexist being would not accept a girl.

Bellatrix thought of the Dark Lord lustfully, but her thoughts quickly soured.

Oh, how she hated sexism! She was more faithful than any man who served for the Death Eaters. She was the only woman in His entire inner circle. She knew he was called Tom Riddle. She would be Bellatrix Riddle had she given birth to a boy.

More than anything else, however, she hated it when a man tried to help her, as if believing her too weak to do things for herself.

"Here let me kill him."

"I will get it, don't you worry little Bella."

"Bellatrix, perhaps my connections are more...informative...then your's."

The picture of one man formed in her mind. It was Severus Snape.

She hated the man more than anyone else. In fact, when they were in their teenage years, they were even together, thinking of their plans for their futures.

"I have heard word from...a friend of mine...that a new power has risen."

"Lord Voldemort?" suggested Bellatrix.

"Do not say the Dark Lord's name! Learn some respect!"

"I'm sorry Severus, continue."

"I would like to join him...all the Slytherin's will."

"Okay Sev, I will too."

That was the only thing she could ever thank him for. He did everything as if she was a feeble elderly woman, or a child! He called her his girlfriend, which was why she hated the word so.

"Honey, honey I think we should get some sleep," suggested Rodolphus, "I mean, you look tired, so I figured you must want some rest."

Bellatrix screamed, "If you tell me what to do I swear to you I will-!"

Corbeau Black woke up thousands of miles away, screaming.


	7. Chapter 6

Drenched in a cold sweat, Corbeau woke up in the dead of the night. Her heart pounded in her chest and her fingers trembled. A sense of hate filled her entire body and pumped her full of intense adrenaline. She clenched her hands into tight fists and her face was full of anger.

She couldn't remember what had happened to cause this emotion. Someone had done something unbelievably awful, something unforgivable, but Corbeau didn't know who had done this or what they had done. Breathing hard and shaking, she tried to calm herself down. The mirror across the room showed her reflection. Her eyes burned a horrifying red.

Remus Lupin feared the full moon more than any other time of the month. He was depressed around that time, and there was nothing anyone could ever do for him to make it any more bearable.

Surprisingly, his "time of the month" as James Potter used to call it jokingly, used to be the best part of his life. When he was still at Hogwarts, in the midst of studying for exams and practicing charms, it was like a party that only the Marauder's knew about.

Lupin sighed nostalgically. He wished those times were not so long ago. Now two Marauder's were dead and one was in Azkaban. He was all that was left. In fact, the closest thing he had to Marauder was James' only son, Harry.

A tear rolled down Lupin's cheek. James was gone and he was never coming back. Peter had been vanquished. Sirius had left forever, and was a murderer on top of that. No one should have to go through this, ever, especially not a twenty-six year old werewolf.

He was drowning in self pity, but, as he knew, that wasn't going to get him anywhere, so he got up, took a quick shower, and started transfiguring breakfast for both Corbeau and himself.

Corbeau came down the stairs, jet black hair sticking up in all directions, and paler than ever. She looked shaken, but, as Lupin thought between sips of black coffee, she should be, as both her parents had recently died.

"Morning, Beau."

"'Ello." Her voice cracked sharply. She sounded so awful it was alarming.

"Sleep well last night?" Lupin asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Not well at all..." Corbeau trailed off. She wasn't exactly in the right mind.

"Corbeau, what's -"

"What was my mother like?" Corbeau interrupted.

"What?" Remus asked, surprised.

Corbeau's eyes lit up, "You went to school with my mum! What was she like?"

"Elaina? She was a perfectly fine woman as you well know..."

"No, no, not her. My real mother...Bellatrix."

"Oh," Lupin said, understandingly, "Well, she was Regulus' favorite cousin...and erm...well she was malicious to say the least. It wasn't all pranks for her during school. It was dark magic. She was extremely talented, but she spent all of her time obsessed in the dark arts and the work of the Death Eaters under Lord Voldemort."

"Oh," Corbeau said glumly, "Well was she ever a good person?"

"Believe me, I think everyone has a good side to them, but corruption makes it seem otherwise."

"Does Lord Voldemort have a good side, then?"

"I'm sure he does Corbeau. He must have a sense of love or feeling or you probably wouldn't be standing here in front of me."

Corbeau gave the idea a lot of thought, in between bites of flapjacks, and shivered.

"Ew..." Corbeau grimaced, and Lupin chuckled.

"It's a bit disturbing, isn't it?"

Some of the stiff string of tension had been cut, but Corbeau realized she didn't know what to believe.

But then she came up with the idea that would change her life forever:

I'm going to meet my mum. My _real mum_.


	8. Chapter 7

Drenched in a cold sweat, Corbeau woke up in the dead of the night. Her heart pounded in her chest and her fingers trembled. A sense of hate filled her entire body and pumped her full of intense adrenaline. She clenched her hands into tight fists and her face was full of anger.

She couldn't remember what had happened to cause this emotion. Someone had done something unbelievably awful, something unforgivable, but Corbeau didn't know who had done this or what they had done. Breathing hard and shaking, she tried to calm herself down. The mirror across the room showed her reflection. Her eyes burned a horrifying red.

Remus Lupin feared the full moon more than any other time of the month. He was depressed around that time, and there was nothing anyone could ever do for him to make it any more bearable.

Surprisingly, his "time of the month" as James Potter used to call it jokingly, used to be the best part of his life. When he was still at Hogwarts, in the midst of studying for exams and practicing charms, it was like a party that only the Marauder's knew about.

Lupin sighed nostalgically. He wished those times were not so long ago. Now two Marauder's were dead and one was in Azkaban. He was all that was left. In fact, the closest thing he had to Marauder was James' only son, Harry.

A tear rolled down Lupin's cheek. James was gone and he was never coming back. Peter had been vanquished. Sirius had left forever, and was a murderer on top of that. No one should have to go through this, ever, especially not a twenty-six year old werewolf.

He was drowning in self pity, but, as he knew, that wasn't going to get him anywhere, so he got up, took a quick shower, and started transfiguring breakfast for both Corbeau and himself.

Corbeau came down the stairs, jet black hair sticking up in all directions, and paler than ever. She looked shaken, but, as Lupin thought between sips of black coffee, she should be, as both her parents had recently died.

"Morning, Beau."

"'Ello." Her voice cracked sharply. She sounded so awful it was alarming.

"Sleep well last night?" Lupin asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Not well at all..." Corbeau trailed off. She wasn't exactly in the right mind.

"Corbeau, what's -"

"What was my mother like?" Corbeau interrupted.

"What?" Remus asked, surprised.

Corbeau's eyes lit up, "You went to school with my mum! What was she like?"

"Elaina? She was a perfectly fine woman as you well know..."

"No, no, not her. My real mother...Bellatrix."

"Oh," Lupin said, understandingly, "Well, she was Regulus' favorite cousin...and erm...well she was malicious to say the least. It wasn't all pranks for her during school. It was dark magic. She was extremely talented, but she spent all of her time obsessed in the dark arts and the work of the Death Eaters under Lord Voldemort."

"Oh," Corbeau said glumly, "Well was she ever a good person?"

"Believe me, I think everyone has a good side to them, but corruption makes it seem otherwise."

"Does Lord Voldemort have a good side, then?"

"I'm sure he does Corbeau. He must have a sense of love or feeling or you probably wouldn't be standing here in front of me."

Corbeau gave the idea a lot of thought, in between bites of flapjacks, and shivered.

"Ew..." Corbeau grimaced, and Lupin chuckled.

"It's a bit disturbing, isn't it?"

Some of the stiff string of tension had been cut, but Corbeau realized she didn't know what to believe.

But then she came up with the idea that would change her life forever:

I'm going to meet my mum. My _real mum_.


	9. Chapter 8

Nymphadora Tonks could generally be found out and about searching for flobberworms, or practicing potions, and, of course, spilling them on herself. No matter how many extra limbs, how much skin she turned purple, or any other amount of pain she accidentally inflicted on herself, she never ceased to be fascinated with the world of magic around her. Of course, she dreamed of being an Auror, so she took almost every class that was offered, but it wasn't just interest, it was wonder.

Though she loved many aspects of magic, there were some she hated. Slytherin House in particular, and she could narrow that dislike down to mainly the Slytherins that lived in that house. From there she could narrow it down to seventh year Slytherins. There was one in particular that she especially could not stand, and that was Corbeau Black.

Tonks sneered to herself, "Beau Black with her glamorous life, rich Death Eater parents, beautiful skin and hair, and any boy she wanted. That ambitious Slytherin, who thought Griffyndors as enemies and Hufflepuffs as dirt. Basically a 'popular girl' like back at Muggle School..."

Tonks turned her hair black down to her waist and her face to match Corbeau's smug expression, and proceeded to imitate her in a crude way. She was somehow entertained at the notion.

* * *

Corbeau stared at her reflection in the vanity-style mirror in the upstairs bathroom of Lupin's house. The more she stared at it, the more she hated it and vice versa.

_"Forfex Appario!" _she whispered, waving her thin, silver wand so that a skinny, shiny pair of scissors fell into her open hand. Staring at her reflection once more, the perfect complexion, the dark hair framing her face in a way that made her look older and more sophisticated, she proceeded to chop all of her locks off without a second thought.

Crying the whole time she thought "Why can't I be myself anymore?" specifically. Ever since her mother and father's deaths she found it hard to act like she always had. It was impossible to act happy or even interested in anything at the moment, and all of the liveliness she once had seemed to be escaping her.

With her new haircut straightened, she looked like a different person, intense, perhaps, but more of an evil showed in her face. Sure, many girls would love to have the fact she had now, but a certain hatred showed in her face to make it look like she would inflict pain on you if you looked her in the eyes.

As a demon desperately tries to escape the prison depths of Hell, a demon had successfully escaped from Corbeau's heart and showed himself in her soul. With that, Corbeau herself was shrouded into darkness.

It was as if a bit of her father was showing through at long last.

* * *

Feeling a promise of strength and power, the Dark Lord's spirit let out a blood curdling scream of glory. He was detached, lifeless, and wandering aimlessly without the use of his servants to aid him, but still he could feel a voice calling out to him. It was young, innocent, and...feminine?

The spirit didn't know who it was, or what it wanted, but it seemed to be channeling him.


	10. Chapter 9

Corbeau Riley Black jumped out of her second story window and landed quietly on the outside grass like a perfect streamlined feline. She did not look back towards Remus Lupin's house. She never felt any remorse for leaving.

She pulled out her wand, completely aware that it was mid-afternoon and she was in plain sight of several muggles, but she didn't care. Only one thing mattered to her, and that was being able to meet her mother. She searched her early memories as deeply as she could, without avail, but she couldn't remember anything before living with Elaina and Regulus. She became frustrated, and anger pulsed through the vein on the side of her head. She made her way onto the asphalt street, her boots clunking as she stomped the hard ground.

Corbeau's eyes turned a light shade of orange.

"Hey, watch out!" a voice screamed nearby. Corbeau ignored it.

"You're going to get-!"

Corbeau didn't hear the rest of the sentence, as a bulk hit her torso, causing her legs to bend the wrong way. She felt a sharp pain run up her spine and screamed at the top of her lungs. Metal twisted around her, trapping her inside of a cage. She couldn't find a way out and couldn't move. She could see her legs mangled up, covered in blood and twisted the wrong way, but she couldn't feel to move them. Corbeau tried to lift her arms but as she looked down she saw that they were in a similar way as her legs, torn, bloody, and useless.

Then, panic set in. Corbeau's heart raced to an uncontrollable speed. She could hear herself scream, not knowing what she was saying. Her body moved involuntarily, trying to get away from the hands on her back, dragging her out of her rusted prison. She could see where she had been sitting, the spot was surrounded by a car's hood and wheels and a dark red substance.

"Hey watch out!" Tonks yelled to the pale girl with the short black hair, but the girl kept on walking. Tonks could see the large SUV speeding down the street. How stupid was this girl, walking in the middle of a busy road, unaware of what was going on?

"You're going to get hit!" As Tonks finished her sentence, a metallic screech filled the air and a high pitched shriek followed soon after it. The girl had been hit full on by the car.

Tonks ran over towards the crash, adrenaline pulsing through her veins. She was going to be an Auror, not a Muggle Rescue Worker, but all the same, she did like helping people. She knew she was generally a good Samaritan.

The girl's thin arm was hanging out of the wreckage, gashed and bloody, which gave Tonks a clue to exactly where the girl was. Upon finding the girl's torso, bent out of shape and shaking, Tonks wrapped her arms around the girl's waist and with all of her strength, pulled the girl from the groaning metal and emerging fire.

The girl screamed and writhed, but Tonks held on with all of her will power.

"I've got you, calm down, we're getting help," she said, more to relax herself than the girl.

She laid the girl's body down on the grass beside the sidewalk parallel to the road. Muggles of all ages surrounded her, asking to if she needed help.

"Call an ambulance!" Tonks yelled at a lady who had gotten her cell phone out. Then she turned back to the girl, took off her sweatshirt, rolled it up into a ball, and pressed it onto the girl's largest wound. At the same time, she looked into the girl's face, splattered with a mixture of oil and blood and could tell she was once pretty, but she also looked very familiar. Tonks wondered if she was a clerk at a grocery store or something along those lines.

"Hey, what's this?" A muggle boy asked, salvaging a twisting, silver stick from the debris. Stranegly enough, it was unscathed, very much unlike its master.

Tonks looked at the stick, knowing at once that it was a wand. She looked back down at the girl.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, almost falling backwards, "It's Beau Black!"


	11. Chapter 10

_"Beau! Beau! Come over here with me?" the fairy said to Corbeau, holding out her hand, "Beau, follow me!"_

_"Who are you?" Corbeau cried out to the fairy, but her breath was taken away._

_"Follow me, Beau. I'll show you your mother."_

_A wave of anguish passed through Beau and she placed her hand in the fairy's palm, who squeezed it gently._

_"Okay, up to the light. Your parents are up there, in the light. Soon, you will be too."_

_Realization smacked Corbeau in the face. She was dying and this was a dream. What had happened? She remembered a cage of twisted metal, engulfing her in a mass of toxic fumes. She could remember looking at her mangled body, but feeling no pain. And the fire, burning shade of orange and yellow, and spitting ash into her face._

_Corbeau thought that was merely a nightmare._

_Was she really hit by a car? Corbeau could remember hearing a feminine scream._

_"You're going to get hit!"_

_So that's what it was. Corbeau tried to yank her hands away from the fairy, but she looked down and saw that their arms were plastered together. Her stomach dropped in terror._

_She tried to scream to someone, trying to let them know that she was not dead, and yet she was being treated as such. No voice would come out. Corbeau could not so much as open her lips_

_"You're going to see your parents, Beau! Go on up to the light!" And, with that, the fairy disappeared, leaving Beau with no control over her movements, moving at a dizzying rate upward, into a shining light that looked both heavenly and made her want to throw up._

_**"Corbeau, please wake up! Please!"**_

_That voice was, though less beautiful, definitely familiar. She had heard it seconds before this nightmare._

_**"Corbeau...Beau, can you hear me?"**_

_Suddenly, Corbeau was falling. Falling down into a hole of blackness, the light slowly disappearing behind her.

* * *

_

"Corbeau, please don't die!" Tonks screamed at Beau's tangled, pale body.

The ambulance's doctors were doing everything they could to save her. Then again, they were muggles. Tonks wondered if her training had prepared her for this.

Holding her wand behind her back, she muttered a healing spell much too low for the doctors to hear.

The pulse sounded on the electronic screen, stronger than before, and Corbeau started shaking.

"What just happened?" One of the doctors asked to the nurse beside him.

The nurse simply shrugged, though Tonks, on the outside of the circle of medical professionals, was smiling on the inside.

"Your friends going to be okay...I think."

Tonks looked up at the man and smiled a wide smile. After all, he thought it was only a miracle.

Maybe this is what I should do when I grow up, thought Tonks to herself. What a life it would be, to help people.

* * *

"I think, maybe, just maybe, the Dark Lord's power is becoming one with me."

Rodolphus looked up, giving his wife a more "she's ridiculous" glare than before. But he decided to go along with it.

"What makes you say that?"

"Look at me, I'm in Azkaban."

Bellatrix purred the words, as if they were a blessing in disguise, "...And I feel _energy_. I must be rising. The Dark Lord must be returning my affection."

Rodolphus turned his head and rolled his eyes, almost laughing.

Bellatrix sensed mockery. "Rodolphus, you are laughing at that which you don't understand!"

"Yes, because there's no way it's happening. Bellatrix, you're going _hysterical_."

"That's what you think," Bellatrix sat next to him, staring into his eyes, nose-to-nose, "But someone is coming. They are weak right now, but they will come. Mark those words down. My prophecy will become reality, just watch."

She stood up and walked to the front of their cell, holding her hand outside of the iron bars and feeling the deepness of the chill. It felt like her arm was pressed against solid ice. Then, bony fingers, grabbed her wrist and a deep breathing sounded in her ear.

_"Kisssssss. Getttt ouuuttt."_

Bellatrix slowly pulled her arm away and turned around to face Rodolphus.

"Just keep holding on. We'll be reunited with the Dark Lord very soon."


	12. Chapter 11

_A light, a bright and shining light. Dancing, twirling around me._

I tried to open my eyes.

_Spins and spins and shines too far above to be reality._

The brightness glared from above and I tried to reach towards it. My efforts were futile.

_Oh what I'd do to have that light surround a key._

The light shined into my eyes and the shock of it was painful. Sharp and scarring in my eyes.

_So I could escape from here and I could soon be free._

A jolt passed through my muscles. I wanted to scream and writhe but my body would not move. I had no control.

_Now in this world the answer does not always come to you._

My mind fidgeted. My spiritual heart fidgeted. Even my soul fidgeted. But in reality, I did not fidget.

_You have to look between the lines and find the thing to do._

I wanted out. I couldn't take it anymore. What did I do? I left, I quit, I couldn't stand it. I don't know who I am anymore!

_The conscience in your heart will tell you what is true._

Why did I leave? The light painfully makes me wonder. I left to find out my past. Why was I brought into this world? Was there a reason, or was it merely chance? Why didn't my father want me?

_And maybe, quite maybe, you can have a happy ending too._

I left people that love me. That's unforgivable. I don't deserve to live. What compelled me to commit this sin of hatred?

_**My mother, that's who.**_

"In this world, there are many miracles."

Tonks looked up to the doctor who was sitting on a chair near hers in the hospital room. He seemed to be mumbling in his sleep, but still Tonks was curious to see if what he said carried any meaning.

"These things do occur. Surprising, yes. Unfair, yes. Unforeseeable, yes."

Tonks looked over at Corbeau. Looking quiet and peaceful, wrapped in layers of bandages, less broken, but still deep asleep.

"She is at rest," the doctor said, "She is in a happy place. She is in a coma."

"When will she be awake again?" Tonks interrupted, unable to control herself.

The doctor went on as if he hadn't heard her. "When she wakes up, she will not have known what happened."

Tonks nodded. Clearly, this man was only semi-conscious.

"I suppose that's a good thing. It must be relief to not deal with the woes of today."

And with that, his head fell back and he too fell asleep.

Tonks got up and walked over to Corbeau's bedside. She leaned over and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I hope you wake up soon, Beau," she whispered, "Please. Everyone's worried. I'm worried."

She pulled out her long, thin, willowy wand. "_Lumos!" _she mumbled.

"There!" Tonks whispered, as a dull light came out of her wand and danced above Corbeau's eyelids, "I hope you can see me. I'm the spirit of the light."

It was as if Tonks simply forgot the hatred she once had for this girl. Perhaps the grievously injured carry a place inside the hearts of the true.


	13. Chapter 12

_"I'll drain him dry as hay._

_Sleep shall neither night nor day._

_Hang upon his penthouse lid._

_He shall live a man forbid._

_Weary sev'nnights, nine times nine._

_Shall he dwindle, peak, and pine._

_Though his bark cannot be lost,_

_Yet it shall be tempest tossed..."_

- William Shakespeare's _Macbeth _Act I scene iii

* * *

My eyes flicked open, bone-chilling red, and bloodthirsty.

* * *

"Nymphadora Tonks, please report to room twelve, Lincoln Hall, Nymphadora Tonks to room twelve, Lincoln Hall, thank you."

Tonks' head perked up at hearing this news. That was Corbeau's room. Did something happen?

Getting up to her feet quickly, she then raced down the halls of the hospital, barely dodging vacant gurneys and sleep-deprived nurses. She finally got to room twelve. The door was closed, the room dark with curtains pulled. Tonks took a deep, shaking breath. Hope for the best, that was all she could do now.

She swallowed hard and slowly forced herself to open the door...

"What's happened?" she asked the darkness cautiously.

"Let her tell you!" a feminine voice replied, probably that of a doctor.

Tonks stepped in, pushing the curtain over slightly to see a black haired pale girl. Her skin looked papery and she looked gaunt, but she still was undoubtedly Corbeau Black.

She took another step but then jumped back. Corbeau's eye were frighteningly red.

The doctor looked up sheepishly, "I assume it's a side effect I've never heard of. Probably some damage to her irises... Don't you worry, it didn't half scare me!"

Corbeau looked up at Tonks the way a child would.

"Is she awake?" asked Tonks cautiously.

"Oh yes," the doctor smiled, "Very much so. Try talking to her."

"Corbeau, do you remember me?"

Corbeau mumbled, "A car. The light. The fairy. And death."

Tonks must have looked confused because the doctor said, "Well, she's not entirely coherent yet. That will take time. Her brain is not completely active yet."

"Oh okay." Tonks looked over at Beau, "Corbeau, I'm so happy you're still alive."

Corbeau looked up at her expectantly.

"I can't believe this whole thing. We used to HATE each other so much...and now...well..." Tonks couldn't help the tears that started to cascade down her cheeks. She usually considered herself strong, but now was just different.

Tonks looked down at Corbeau, lost for words. Corbeau just merely looked back up, her expression indifferent.

"I just, well, I don't know." Tonks ended simply.

The doctor finally spoke, "It's been a long night for you, hasn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tonks replied, wiping her tears on her sleeve.

"Think you should be getting yourself to bed? It's nearly six at night. You could use some rest."

"Yes ma'am," Tonk said again, turning away towards the door.

"Thank you Tonks."

Tonks looked back and saw Corbeau looking up at her, her eyes still horrifyingly red, but a warm smile on her sickly face.


	14. Chapter 13

Two months had gone by since Corbeau's accident. Her bones had mended for the most part, though she was still in leg braces, and her eyes had returned to their normal blue color. She was released from the muggle hospital alone; she had lied about her age, saying she was eighteen and Tonks had backed her up. So she went off into the street, limping slightly, but looking oddly graceful at the same time.

"Where are you going, Beau?" Tonks yelled. She was a good ten feet trailing behind Corbeau's swift steps, but surely wasn't going to allow herself to be left behind.

"Out of this dump for sure," Corbeau answered without slowing down or even looking back.

"And where is _that_? Surely you can't go far in your condition..."

"I know where I'm going to go for sure, Tonks. I'm just not sure how I'm going to get there."

"Where is that?"

"Why do you give a damn about it? You don't like me. I don't like you. Why do you even care?" Corbeau stated, harshly. Tonks stopped and looked shocked.

"Beau, I don't hate you. I thought we were friends..."

"Well, you saved my life and I'm grateful, but I must be going now-"

"I'm coming with you." Tonks head her head high and look defiant. Corbeau rolled her eyes.

"No you're not. I don't need you."

"And why not? You're injured and we're both underage. Seeing as flying by yourself would be a right block-headed thing to do, and you can't apparate without splinching your leg off..."

Corbeau interrupted, "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters to me at the moment."

"Well, clearly this little trip of yours is worth getting expelled and having your wand snatched."

"You don't understand! You don't get it," Corbeau sneered.

Tonks was furious but she tried to keep emotion out of her voice. "What don't I understand, Corbeau?"

"I can't tell you. Just leave, okay?"

"How will I understand it if you won't tell me? Oh, I don't want you to get hurt. Can't you see I'm trying to help you?"

"I didn't ask for your help Nymphadora," Corbeau said her name mockingly, which angered Tonks greatly.

"Maybe I should just leave you here."

"You should!"

"You don't need me."

"No I don't. You're finally understanding!"

"You're just going to die. Is that what you want? I'll just leave you here to die."

"I very well might. And you won't care will you, Tonks? You won't care in the slightest."

"Maybe I won't," Tonks said tentatively. "But this is just a suicide mission isn't it? What is worth so much that you're willing to die for it? Why can't you tell me?"

"I can't tell anyone."

"And why is that, Corbeau? What kind of secret is this? Maybe you'd get arrested for it, but nothing you can say will make me run screaming. You can tell me anything; I can keep a secret. You can trust me."

"It's just that-"

"-Just that what?"

Corbeau took a deep, cleansing breath and turned around to face Tonks, "My family." Her tone changed remarkably. No longer was she seething mad and disagreeable, but melancholy and miserable

"Your father is Regulus Black and Elaina Malfoy. Known Death Eaters. I got it. No big deal."

"If you'd let me finish!" Corbeau snapped.

Tonks held her hands up innocently. "Go on."

They're not my real family. I'm adopted."

Tonks looked surprised, "What?"

"Do you want to know who my parents are and why I'm adopted? Are you sure you can withstand the urge to run away?"

"I would."

"My mother is Bellatrix Lestrange. One of the most powerful, and gruesome Death Eaters out there."

Tonks expression did not change, "And your father...? I'm sure he can't be worse. You seemed to have turned out okay." Tonks smiled, trying to make a joke in this uncomfortably serious moment, but Corbeau just ignored her.

"My father is Lord Voldemort."

* * *

A cackling laugh filled the dark, cold air. A warm presence was felt by none other than Bellatrix Black.

"My only daughter is still alive! She's still out there! Oh, how I would _love_ to meet her!"

Rodolphus merely glanced at his seemingly deranged wife and did not think anything of it. His wife was Bellatrix Black, the woman who loved nothing more that Lord Voldemort. Surely, Azkaban was getting her, as she could not being having affairs with the Dark Lord, could she?

He shook the preposterous thought from his head, but Bellatrix continued to laugh.


	15. Chapter 14

**Surprisingly enough, Tonks showed no emotion what so ever when I said those frightening words:**

_**"My father is Lord Voldemort."**_

**In fact, I think I may have shown more emotion. I still can't get it through my head that my father is the greatest dark wizard of all time. What I'd do to have some of his infamous power!**

**But still, I don't think I would go out and kill people and round up followers to be my slaves. I'm not evil, I don't think.**

**Still, it's a family influence, and Voldemort thinks what he's doing is for the greater good. I think that no villain is purely evil; surely there is still some good in Lord Voldemort, as Remus said. If he wasn't so deranged and hate-filled, maybe it would show. It's probably not even his fault that he seems to be bloody mad. Not that I'd like to approach him or anything. He may be my father, but he's still the Ministry of Magic's most wanted man.**

**Anyway, from that point on, I decided I could trust Nymphadora Tonks.**

**I know we'd never gotten along before. At school, the other Slytherin's and I would always make fun of her. I know it was wrong, but I was a shallow person back at Hogwarts. I only tried to constantly impress my friends, and stay popular. It was vain, but it was life.**

**Now that I've seen the real world. Now that I've been closer to death than I've ever wanted to be, I've realized that I need to cherish everyday, for better, or for worse. No matter what happens during a day, I will never be able to re-live those twenty-four hours ever again. I want to live my life and be the best I can be.**

**Tonks and I formulated a game plan for my whole situation. Seeing as the Dark Lord had already fell, I knew it was time to meet my mother. We talked ourselves into traveling to Azkaban to her and talking to her, to Bellatrix, to my...mother. I wanted, more than anything, to know my past.**

**We were to ride on Tonks' Cleansweep 6 broomstick all the way to outer Wales and then sail to the island where Azkaban was located. Sure, it was going to be a perilous journey, but I knew I would be up for it, and believed that it would be well worth it.**

**So be it, I am going on a journey, and there I will learn my past, why I was created, and how I will live the rest of my life, whether in comfort or in fear. I can only hope that this trek will be successful. I've certainly got a brave friend on my side.**

**Bon voyage. I hope I can live through it. I believe myself to be strong enough. I've got legendary blood running through my veins.**

_**-Corbeau Black

* * *

**_

"She's coming here, Rodolphus."

"Who's she?" asked Rodolphus, a little hesitantly. He was all-too-familiar with the state of his wife's mental health, and that state was not good.

"My daughter."

Rodolphus sighed, "You don't have a daughter Bella. The Dark Lord told us specifically not to have offspring."

"You ignorant fool! Have kids with you of all people? You're insane. This is my daughter I'm talking about!"

Rodolphus took a deep breath and counted to ten in his head. Even in Azkaban, Bellatrix could still make his temper rise. "With who did you have this daughter, Bella?"

"Call me Bellatrix. And this girl is the Dark Lord's child!" she snapped maniacally.

"Whatever you say dear."

"Listen to me, you moron," Bellatrix put her face close to his, so that their noses were practically touching. "This is the Dark Lord's daughter. He wanted a heir to his throne, should he ever die. Though he will never die, believe me, he thought it a good precaution. Of course, he needed a female, and that female was me. I was honored above all the rest, Rodolphus."

"Why haven't I heard this story before?" Rodolphus groaned skeptically, though deep down, he wondered if it was true.

"Shut up," she snapped, and then she continued, "Of course, the Dark Lord wanted a son naturally, and I...well...I bore a daughter."

"Oh the _shame_..." Rodolphus sneered sarcastically, though Bellatrix obviously didn't realize he wasn't serious.

"I know, I know. So he gave the girl to Severus and I never saw her again. I thought her dead. Until..."

"Until what?"

"I felt her presence."

"You _what_...?" Rodolphus practically laughed. Azkaban was clearly getting to her.

"I knew she was alive and just now, well I now know that she's looking for me. She's looking for her past."

Bellatrix smiled, only her smile was not evil, it was not menacing in the slightest; it was a sincere smile and it almost hurt Rodolphus to look at it. He had never seen her smile earnestly before.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, cautiously.

"I'm thinking we should..._welcome_ her."

And the menacing smile came back, brighter and more deranged than ever before.


End file.
